Malcolm Lee and Lazeric Jones both scored 20 points and the UCLA Bruins held off a furious rally to defeat UC Irvine 74-73 in a non-conference game at Pauley Pavilion Thursday night. The Bruins led by as much as 13 points in the second half but had to hang on for the win after missing several free throws down the stretch.

UCLA played without leading scorer Tyler Honeycutt who sprained his shoulder in the last game. Honeycutt is not expected to miss an extended time. The Bruins are 5-0 against Big West Conference teams this season.

UCLA (8-4) led virtually from the start and quickly built a double-digit lead. They led 36-23 on a dunk by Reeves Nelson and took a 39-29 lead into the half. The Bruins took a 47-33 lead early in the second half on a 3-pointer by Lazeric Jones. But the Anteaters (6-6) then chipped away at the bulge closing to 72-70 in the final minute on the heels of a 7-0 run.

UCLA struggled at the free throw line and led 74-70 before Darren Moore hit a 3-pointer to make it 74-73 with seven seconds left.

Tyler Lamb was fouled on the ensuing possession and missed both free throws but Irvine was unable to get off a shot as the UCLA defense trapped Irvine’s Patrick Rembert in the corner as the buzzer sounded.

Eric Wise led Irvine with 16 points.